Article by Kelly Nix.
Making sure children are healthy is a primary focus for Children International. Good nutrition plays an important role in that effort – particularly as the world wrestles with repeated food crises that, according to the World Bank, have kept food prices "high and volatile" over the past several years.
A key part of CI's food strategy is to help children and families living in poverty make the best of the foods available to them. While some families have no money for food, many also lack knowledge in how to buy and prepare nutritious food on a shoestring budget.
And, of course, another side of the struggle can be getting children to choose nutritious food over empty calories in readily available "junk food."
Staff at CI's agency in Quezon City, Philippines, used their creativity to turn nutrition into fun, by devising a program known as Merry Meal Time, or MMT. Each Saturday, trained facilitators ranging from agency staff and volunteers to youth set up shop in community centers around the city, using interactive lectures, puppets, storytelling and art activities to draw children into the conversation about eating right.
"It's always fun when Merry Meal Time comes," shares 10-year-old Kristine, who suffered from malnutrition prior to joining MMT. "At Merry Meal Time, I realized I really need vegetables in order to grow healthy," she says. "It is important for children like me to be part of Merry Meal Time .... It's a big help for me."
The feeding program is "a big help for me," affirms Kristine.
Good nutrition is helping Jessa Mae recover from malnutrition.
Kristine's mother, Anastacia, a Children International volunteer, agrees. "It is very important that children know the right food to eat," she asserts. "Thanks to the nutrition program, these children have a way of preventing illnesses and developing a strong immune system."
Children International's efforts to support nutrition take a variety of shapes. Besides programs like Merry Meal Time that help gradually restore proper nutritional status, other initiatives like CI's Lifeline Food Program provide critical assistance in the face of emergencies ranging from community-wide disasters to hardships faced by individual families.
"This may involve small- or large-scale events, such as a flood affecting an entire region or a fire affecting a few households," explains Andrea Dunne-Sosa, Children International's program officer for health and nutrition.
Additionally, Andrea says, "Agency staff may become aware of a family that is really struggling to get by due to unusual circumstances. In order to prevent families from pulling children out of school, further cutting down the size or number of meals each day or selling valuable household items for immediate cash, these families may qualify to receive up to three consecutive months of aid through Lifeline."
When it comes to measuring the success of CI's nutrition efforts, however, testimonials from children like Jessa Mae, another 10-year-old Merry Meal Time participant, carry the most weight. "Because of the nutrition program, I became livelier and more energetic .... I rarely get sick now," Jessa Mae beams. "I am thankful that I am part of this program."
Nutrition has long been a challenge for India's poor. Even before CI officially started sponsoring children in Delhi, India, the organization hosted a program to address early childhood malnutrition at five preschool centers located in the Bawana slums, through a collaborative approach uniting the efforts of teachers and parents.
Photos and reporting assistance by Carmelinda Carpio.
Jessa Mae (far left) enjoys the fun learning activities that teach her and other sponsored children about healthy eating at her agency in Quezon City.
